1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to end-user systems that use peer-to-peer IP connections to reach packet telephony networks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Communication Service Provider Environment in the Prior Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a service provider environment in the prior art. End-user systems 130, 140, 150 are coupled to first service provider 110 over respective connections 131, 141, 151. End-user systems 160, 170, 180 are coupled to second service provider 120 over respective connections 161, 171, 181. First service provider 110 is coupled to public telephone network 100 and Internet 101 by respective connections 112 and 113. Second service provider 120 is coupled to public telephone network 100 and Internet 101 by respective connections 121, 122-123. First service provider 110 is coupled to second service provider 120 over peer-to-peer Internet Protocol (IP) connection 111.
FIG. 2 illustrates first service provider 110 in the prior art. First service provider 110 includes mux system 211, router 212, services network 213, telephony gateway 214, and internet gateway 215. Mux system 211 is coupled to router 212 and to connections 131, 141, 151 from end-user systems 130, 140, 150. Router 212 is coupled to services network 213, telephony gateway 214, and Internet gateway 215. Router 212 is also coupled to peer-to-peer IP connection 111 to second service provider 120. Telephony gateway 214 is coupled to connection 113 to public telephone network 100. Internet gateway 215 is coupled to connection 112 to Internet 101.
FIG. 3 illustrates second service provider 120 in the prior art. Second service provider 120 includes router 312 and packet telephony network 313. Router 312 is coupled to peer-to-peer IP connection 111 to first service provider 110 and connection 123 to Internet 101. Packet telephony network 313 is coupled to connections 161, 171, 181 to end-user systems 160, 170, 180. Packet telephony network 313 is also coupled to connection 122 to Internet 101 and to connection 121 to public telephone network 100.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, end-user systems 130, 140, 150 use first service provider 110 to access public telephone network 100 and Internet 101. First service provider 110 provides telephony service through telephony gateway 214 and provides Internet access through Internet gateway 215. First service provider 110 may also provide other services through services network 213.
End-user systems 160, 170, 180 use second service provider 120 to access packet telephony network 313. Packet telephony network 313 provides telephone services and Internet access over a packet network. End-user systems 160, 170, 180 include interface devices for use between their computers or telephones and packet telephony network 313. Using end-user systems 160, 170, 180 and packet telephony network 313, available telephony features include: 3-way calling, call forwarding, message waiting notification, ring-again, caller ID, voice-activated dialing, unified messaging, and unified communications.
Unfortunately, end-users of first service provider 110 do not have effective access to packet telephony network 313. To access packet-based telephony, end-user systems 130, 140, 150 typically employ computer telephony over Internet 101. Computer telephony requires two fairly sophisticated end-users who configure their computers to operate like telephones—including microphone, speaker, telephone circuitry, and user interface—and then operate their computers to exchange voice IP packets with one another over Internet 101. For example, end-user systems 130,140 would exchange voice IP packets over first service provider 110 and Internet 101. Computer telephony is much more complex than simply plugging-in a telephone and dialing a familiar number.
In contrast, end-users of second service provider 120 may plug standard telephones into their interface devices, and with relative ease, enjoy packet-based telephony service using a standard telephone. One example of a packet telephony network and associated end-user systems are the Integrated On-demand Network (ION) provided by Sprint Corporation.
Peer-to-Peer IP Connections in the Prior Art
Peer-to-peer IP connections are established between two different service providers to exchange IP traffic destined for the other service provider. It is important for a service provider to transfer this IP traffic as soon as possible to relieve other systems in that service provider from handling the traffic. For example, router 212 can transfer IP traffic to second service provider 120 over two different routes: 1) peer-to-peer IP connection 111, or 2) Internet gateway 215 and Internet 101. First service provider 110 wants to use peer-to-peer IP connection 111 whenever possible to reserve capacity through Internet gateway 215 for other IP traffic.
A brief discussion of IP addressing follows to further illustrate peer-to-peer IP connections. An Internet address is currently a 32-bit number that is comprised of four 8-bit blocks that are separated by decimals. It is expected that this addressing scheme will be expanded to a 128-bit number that is separated into four 32-bit blocks. An Internet address is also separated into a network part and a host part. The network part identifies the destination network, and the host part identifies the destination host on the destination network. Internet addresses are separated into classes based on how many bits are used for the network part and how many bits are used for the host part. Class “A” addresses use the first block for the network part and the final three blocks for the host part. Class “B” addresses use the first two blocks for the network part and the final two blocks for the host part. Class “C” addresses use the first three blocks for the network part and the final block for the host part.
Class A addresses are typically not used because the first block in an Internet address typically carries “www” for the world wide web, and the subnet on the web must be identified in the second and/or third blocks. Class B addresses are rare because if the first block identifies “www”, then only eight bits remain to provide a mere 256 Class B addresses on the web.
Internet backbone providers carry large amounts of Internet traffic and typically host the largest and most popular websites. The rare Class B addresses are often used by Internet backbone providers to collect IP traffic for their portion of the backbone, and consequently, these Class B addresses are used by other service providers to quickly identify and dump IP traffic over peer-to-peer connections to the Internet backbone provider. In the above example, second service provider 120 could be an Internet backbone provider with Class B addresses. Thus, when router 212 receives Internet traffic with these class B addresses from end-user systems 130, 140, 150, router 212 transfers this IP traffic over peer-to-peer connection 111 to second service provider 120. This routing is far more efficient than transferring the IP traffic through Internet Gateway 215 and over Internet 101 to second service provider 120.
Problems in the Prior Art
The above networking arrangement creates a serious problem for end-users. The service provider who owns the connection to the end-user has a near monopoly over local services for that end-user. Exorbitant costs prevent other service providers from deploying their own end-user connections in competition with existing service providers. The deregulation that was supposed to usher in local competition has yet to deliver a meaningful level of competition in some areas.
Most service providers do not offer any packet-based telephony services that have a legitimate Quality of Service (QoS). End-users are left with a few undesirable choices: order multiple phone lines, order an expensive TI connection, or employ computer telephony over the Internet. End-users in remote areas may not even have all of these choices.
Unfortunately, computer telephony requires a computer as opposed to a telephone. The computer must be configured with a telephony user interface, including microphone, speaker, and computer telephony software. Computer telephony still requires a relatively sophisticated end-user.
The use of the Internet for computer telephony compounds the problem. The Internet offers only best effort delivery without any guaranteed QoS. The Internet may require 15 hops to reach a destination adding unacceptable delay to voice communications. The Internet offers little security and allows hackers to listen to unsophisticated users. Computer telephony over the Internet does not offer the robust features that some end-users desire, such as voice mail, operator assistance, and call forwarding.